1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a playing card holder, and more particularly, relates to a playing card holder device that can either be held in a hand or supported in an upright orientation on a table surface when a folding kickstand is deployed. The invention additionally relates to methods of fabricating and using such a device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many recreational games include the use of playing cards, either alone or in combination with other game elements such as dice, boards, playing pieces, currency, chips, etc. As such, it is often necessary or at least desirable to perform additional activities such as moving game pieces, rolling dice, etc. while simultaneously holding onto one's playing cards. Players ideally want to hold cards with one hand while performing activities with the other to avoid “showing their hands.” In some games, it is necessary for a player to free both hands when performing some other task, in which case it is necessary for the player to lay his or her cards face down on the table while performing the other tasks. In addition, in games involving multiple playing cards, it is often desirable to display the playing cards in such a manner that each of the playing cards' markings, e.g., suite and/or numerical value, are visible only to their specific player.
Prior attempts have been made to provide a playing card holder that will free at least one of a player's hands from holding his or her playing cards while also displaying the playing cards' markings and/or that will facilitate the display of multiple cards. Some such prior playing card holders have included large blocks intended to be placed on a table top and include a slot for partially receiving playing card. Another prior playing card holder, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,527, had a rigid plastic body including both a card retaining portion and a vertical support structure or pedestal extending away from the card retaining portion, thus allowing the card holder to stand independently when placed on a table top. However, the rigid structure of this and other known devices makes them inherently bulky and inconvenient for compact transportation. They are also relatively expensive to manufacture.
Thus, despite prior attempts to provide a playing card holding that is both easily held in one's hand as well as capable of being supported in an upright orientation on a table surface, while securely displaying the playing cards therein, there remains need for improvement